An older resident and a carer talk in an aged-care garden, the kind of conversation the founders drove around the state to hear.

Quality of life in residential aged care: what the national indicators show, and where VR leisure fits

In January to March 2026, 77.1% of assessed residents rated their quality of life good or excellent, the national QI Program reports.

By Kim Loza, Head of Product at People Tech Revolution

Published 25 September 2026 Last updated 28 September 2026 Version 2.0

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn Cite this research

77.1%

Residents rating quality of life good or excellent

QI Program, January to March 2026

64.0%

Residents answering through a proxy, same rating

QI Program, January to March 2026

7.1

Lifestyle officer minutes per resident per day

QI Program, January to March 2026

1 of 3

Queensland homes still running VR 8 weeks on

Miller et al., Australasian Journal on Ageing, 2024

The measure

What does the national quality of life indicator measure?

Each quarter, residents rate 6 items, from independence and pain to social relationships and leisure activities (QI Program definitions).

An older woman sits near a younger man on a garden bench, seen through the headset. — A garden bench, seen through the headset.

An older man sits at a craft table. A first person VR training scenario for aged care and disability services, seen through the headset. — An older man at a craft table.

An older woman speaks to a seated visitor. A first person VR training scenario for aged care and disability services, seen through the headset. — An older woman speaks to a visitor.

A support worker wearing a headset sits beside an older woman in a sunroom with plants at the window. — A support worker beside an older woman.

Why it is measured

The Royal Commission heard “devastating evidence about older people feeling isolated, lonely and bored” (Final Report), and Recommendation 22 asked for a quality of life tool. Reporting began in April to June 2023.

The clinician leans in; an older woman listens. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A clinician leans in; an older woman listens.

What good or excellent means

Scores of 19 to 24 count as good or excellent. Residents answer alone, with an interviewer, or through a proxy when cognitive impairment stops them answering.

The trend

Is resident quality of life rising?

The share rating it good or excellent rose from 69.4% in April to June 2023 to 77.1% in January to March 2026, a relative rise of 0.8% a quarter.

Quality of life and consumer experience rated good or excellent, 2023 to 2026

Quality of lifeConsumer experience

See the data (percent of assessed residents)

	Jun 2023	Sep 2023	Dec 2023	Mar 2024	Jun 2024	Sep 2024	Dec 2024	Mar 2025	Jun 2025	Sep 2025	Dec 2025	Mar 2026
Quality of life	69.4%	72.5%	72.6%	72.8%	73.2%	74.5%	75.0%	75.4%	75.4%	75.9%	76.7%	77.1%
Consumer experience	79.7%	81.8%	82.2%	82.3%	82.4%	83.9%	84.4%	84.7%	84.9%	85.2%	85.7%	86.2%

Percent of assessed residents, quarters ending June 2023 to March 2026. Source: AIHW GEN, QI Program tables, Table 1.1.

Quality of life ratings rose from 69.4% in mid 2023 to 77.1% in early 2026

Consumer experience, which includes social connection, moved from 79.7% to 86.2%. The series is observational: it shows direction, not the reason.

So what for you: Read your quarterly QI result against this line before and after a lifestyle program.

An older woman sits in her armchair beside her walker in a simulated front room, a prompt panel floating across the room. — An older woman in her armchair, walker beside.

31,237 residents still rate it below good

In January to March 2026, 105,192 of 136,429 assessed residents rated it good or excellent, leaving 31,237 (22.9%) at moderate or lower.

Who scores lowest

Which residents rate their quality of life lowest?

Residents surveyed by proxy: 64.0% rated it good or excellent in January to March 2026, against 80.6% of residents who answered alone.

Quality of life good or excellent, by survey completion, January to March 2026

Self-completion80.6%

Interviewer facilitated79.2%

Proxy completion64.0%

All assessed residents77.1%

See the data (percent good or excellent)

Measure	Percent good or excellent
Self-completion	80.6%
Interviewer facilitated	79.2%
Proxy completion	64.0%
All assessed residents	77.1%

Percent of assessed residents, January to March 2026. Source: AIHW GEN, QI Program tables, Table 2.1C.

Proxy answers sit 16.6 points below self-completion

Proxy completion is the route for residents who cannot answer for themselves. 54% of permanent residents had dementia in the 2021 to 2022 financial year (AIHW).

So what for you: A quality of life program has to reach residents who answer through a proxy.

A simulated aged-care hallway. A man in his mid-eighties stands holding the rail as a carer wearing the headset approaches. — A carer approaches a man at the rail.

The QUT Queensland phase left this group out

It excluded residents with a formal dementia diagnosis (Miller et al. 2024).

Quality of life good or excellent by home, January to March 2026

25th percentile home, all residents65.2%

Median home, all residents78.1%

75th percentile home, all residents90.0%

25th percentile home, proxy completion33.3%

Median home, proxy completion59.0%

See the data (percent good or excellent)

Measure	Percent good or excellent
25th percentile home, all residents	65.2%
Median home, all residents	78.1%
75th percentile home, all residents	90.0%
25th percentile home, proxy completion	33.3%
Median home, proxy completion	59.0%

Percent of assessed residents per home, January to March 2026. Source: AIHW GEN, QI Program tables, Table 2.2.

The middle half of homes spans 24.8 points

A home’s own position says more than the national figure. For proxy surveys the median home reports 59.0%.

So what for you: Place your home on this spread before setting a pilot target.

Staff time

How much lifestyle staff time does each resident get?

An average of 7.1 minutes per resident per day from lifestyle officers in January to March 2026, reported since staffing indicators started on 1 April 2025 (QI Program).

Lifestyle officer minutes per resident per day, by remoteness, January to March 2026

Metropolitan homes6.7

Regional centres7.0

Rural and remote homes8.5

All homes7.1

See the data (minutes per resident per day)

Measure	Minutes per resident per day
Metropolitan homes	6.7
Regional centres	7.0
Rural and remote homes	8.5
All homes	7.1

Minutes per resident per day, January to March 2026. Source: AIHW GEN, QI Program tables, Tables 2.1F and 3.2.

Rural and remote homes record the most lifestyle minutes

Their quality of life share is lower, 74.6% against 77.8% in metropolitan homes. The tables cannot show whether minutes and ratings are linked.

So what for you: Staff minutes are the budget a VR session draws on.

A VR aged care and disability services training scenario in which a young support worker stands alone in a staff alcove. — A support worker alone in a staff alcove.

A quarter of homes record 4.0 minutes or less

The median home records 6.9 and the 75th percentile 10.5. Nationally: 7.2 in July to September 2025, 7.3 in October to December.

The QUT program

What did the QUT program test in 6 homes?

Whether VR leisure sessions change social connection, in Queensland and then Victoria, with a peer reviewed paper on each phase (QUT).

A case manager leans toward an older man. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A case manager leans toward an older man.

Queensland, 2021: 1 of 3 homes kept going

Up to 4 sessions ran with 15 residents and 7 staff in 3 homes. Lockdowns cut the schedule, and 8 weeks later 1 of 3 homes still ran VR (Miller et al. 2024).

A facility manager pauses alone on the landing. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A facility manager pauses on the landing.

What the authors tie uptake to

Where the general manager joined staff training, staff time was freed at once. The authors conclude uptake needs supportive senior management and a staff champion.

An instructor watches an older man working. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — An instructor watches an older man work.

Victoria, 2022: 17 of 24 planned sessions

Care staff in 3 homes ran VR 1 day a week with the QUT toolkit. About 30 residents took part, and 71% of planned sessions ran (Wilding et al. 2024).

Plan against delivery in the QUT program, 2021 and 2022

Victoria, 2022: planned sessions delivered17 of 24

Queensland, 2021: homes running VR 8 weeks later1 of 3

See the data (delivered of planned)

Measure	Delivered of planned
Victoria, 2022: planned sessions delivered	17 of 24
Queensland, 2021: homes running VR 8 weeks later	1 of 3

Counts from the papers, 2021 and 2022. Source: Miller et al. 2024; Wilding et al. 2024.

Staff time, not headsets, set the pace

Staff were called away to transfers, every headset needed a staff member beside it, and no Victorian home had continuous on-site IT support.

So what for you: Book facilitator hours for every session before buying headsets.

A wheelchair volunteer talks with a coordinator. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A volunteer talks with a coordinator.

In-house staff or a visiting facilitator

A visiting VR provider asks less of staff time, the Victorian authors suggest, but staff and residents lose the chance to show care to each other through the activity.

A fitting scenario for practising headset setup. — Fitting a headset before a session.

Who ran it

The QUT Design Lab led it with Griffith, Melbourne, La Trobe and Monash universities; Leonie Sanderson of The Ageing Revolution was VR project manager (QUT News).

Outcomes

What do randomised trials show about VR and quality of life?

A moderate effect in older adults overall, 0.48 on quality of life and 0.641 on psychological wellbeing, and thinner, mixed evidence inside care homes.

Pooled effects of immersive VR in older adults, meta-analyses of randomised trials, 2025 and 2026

Quality of life, higher (Trillo-Charlín 2026)0.48

Psychological wellbeing, higher (Ke 2025)0.641

Depression, lower (Ke 2025)0.608

Depressive symptoms, lower (Su 2026)0.83

See the data (standardised mean difference)

Measure	Standardised mean difference
Quality of life, higher (Trillo-Charlín 2026)	0.48
Psychological wellbeing, higher (Ke 2025)	0.641
Depression, lower (Ke 2025)	0.608
Depressive symptoms, lower (Su 2026)	0.83

Standardised mean difference, VR against control, 2025 and 2026. Source: Trillo-Charlín et al.; Ke et al.; Su et al..

Pooled effects sit in the moderate range

Across 14 studies and 839 participants, the pooled quality of life effect (0.48) was strongest in programs of 10 to 12 weeks or more than 600 minutes of exposure. Most reviews mix community and care settings.

So what for you: Plan 10 weeks or more if quality of life is the goal.

A physiotherapist wearing a headset leans toward a seated older woman in a recliner. — A physiotherapist leans toward a seated woman.

Inside care homes the picture is mixed

A long-term care review of 1,057 participants found 8 of 16 mental health studies positive and the effect uncertain (Li et al. 2022). In dementia, 4 of 10 studies found no change in overall symptoms (Wang et al. 2025).

A VR aged care and disability services training scenario in which a physiotherapist stands beside an older man holding parallel bars in a gym. — A physiotherapist beside a man at the bars.

The largest care home trial

Across 265 residents in 26 Hong Kong centres, health-related quality of life differed from control (Kwan et al. 2026). An Australian non-randomised trial found no apathy difference between VR and a laptop (Saredakis et al. 2021).

A wheelchair user leads the planting lesson. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A wheelchair user leads a planting lesson.

What makes it work

A review of 22 articles names local champions and staff training (Hung et al. 2023), the pattern the QUT homes showed.

Safety

How often do residents feel unwell in a headset?

Most tolerate it: 61% of nursing home residents completing every session reported no cybersickness at all, and 2 of 36 stopped early (Rmadi et al. 2023).

A podiatrist crouches beside a seated older woman. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A podiatrist beside a seated older woman.

Short blocks, seated content

Another study lost 11% to cybersickness (Li et al. 2025). The toolkit sets sessions of 60 to 90 minutes, 5 to 10 minutes in VR at a time, at most 3 residents per facilitator (QUT toolkit).

The rules

What do the rules now ask of a lifestyle program?

The Strengthened Quality Standards ask providers to help residents “minimise boredom and loneliness” (Action 7.1.1) and to record changes in quality of life (Action 1.3.6).

An elder sits in the good chair with her daughter beside her in a simulated regional aged-care room; a care coordinator in the headset listens rather than leads. — An elder in her chair, daughter beside.

The Statement of Rights

The Aged Care Act 2024 gives a right to stay connected, including through “leisure, cultural, spiritual and lifestyle activities”.

A receptionist wearing a headset leans over the desk while an older man waits at the counter. — A receptionist greets an older man.

What residents complain about

In January to March 2026, 62 of 4,044 residential complaint concerns (1.5%) were about advocates, significant persons and social connection, a category that includes lifestyle activities (ACQSC).

A younger man stands near an older woman. A first person VR training scenario for aged care and disability services, seen through the headset. — A younger man near an older woman.

A simulated suburban kitchen in an older person's home. A support worker wears the headset at the bench while the resident sits at the table. — A support worker at a kitchen bench.

In a front room at dusk, a woman with a bag over her arm talks to a worker wearing a headset and holding a notebook, an older man watching from his armchair. — A worker with a notebook in a front room.

The market

How many residents and homes does this touch?

196,000 people lived in permanent residential care on 30 June 2025 (AIHW GEN), in 2,590 services run by 707 providers (AIHW GEN).

A wheelchair user demonstrates cooking to a woman. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A wheelchair user demonstrates cooking.

Who they are

59% were aged 85 and over; 55% needed assisted mobility and 42% were not mobile (AIHW GEN).

A seated consultation: an older person wears a headset beside a face while a human adviser sits in the room, keeping a person in the loop. — An older person in a headset, adviser nearby.

Homes already use VR

VR was the most common enrichment technology, used by 13 of 20 survey respondents (65%), from a small sample (Waycott et al. 2022).

A young man stands by the garden bed. A first person VR training scenario for aged care and disability services, seen through the headset. — A young man by the garden bed.

A man wearing a headset sits at a table with a mug, a woman across from him with her own, in a plain staff room. — A man and a woman at a table.

A blind man in his seventies walks with a long cane through an aged-care entrance foyer, an orientation worker beside him. — A cane user walks through a foyer.

The evidence

Which studies and datasets does this rest on?

A row per source, with its design and sample.

Studies and datasets behind the findings
Study	Design	Sample	What was measured	Result
AIHW GEN (2026), QI Program tables	National indicator	Care home residents	Quality of life, minutes	77.1%; proxy 64.0%
Miller et al. (2024), Australasian Journal on Ageing	Qualitative case study	3 homes, 15 residents, 7 staff	Continued use	1 of 3 homes
Wilding et al. (2024), Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics	Staff co-design	3 homes	Staff-run VR	17 of 24 sessions
Trillo-Charlín et al. (2026), JMIR Aging	Meta-analysis, RCTs	839 participants	Quality of life	SMD 0.48
Ke et al. (2025), General Hospital Psychiatry	Meta-analysis, RCTs	802 older adults	Mood, wellbeing	SMD 0.641
Su et al. (2026), PLOS Digital Health	Meta-analysis, RCTs	746 older adults	Depression	SMD 0.83
Li et al. (2022), International Journal of Nursing Studies	Systematic review	1,057 residents	Mental health	8 of 16 positive
Wang et al. (2025), Age and Ageing	Meta-analysis	People with dementia	Behavioural symptoms	4 of 10 no change
Kwan et al. (2026), International Journal of Nursing Studies	Multi-centre RCT	265 residents	Quality of life	Differed from control
Hung et al. (2023), Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine	Scoping review	22 articles	Facilitators	Champions, training
Rmadi et al. (2023), Frontiers in Public Health	Tolerance study	36 residents	Cybersickness	61% none
Waycott et al. (2022), JMIR Aging	Survey	20 survey responses	Technology in use	VR 65%

Decisions

What does this mean for a buyer?

5 decisions, in the order a pilot meets them.

Take a baseline from the QI you already report. Set your quarterly result against the national 77.1% and the 65.2% to 90.0% spread across homes.
Design for residents who answer through a proxy. They report 64.0% good or excellent against 80.6% for self-completion.
Count facilitator hours before headsets. Lifestyle officers average 7.1 minutes per resident per day; the Victorian homes ran 17 of 24 planned sessions.
Name a senior sponsor and a staff champion. In Queensland 1 of 3 homes kept VR going, and the authors tie uptake to management support and a champion.
Run it long enough to measure. The quality of life effect of 0.48 was strongest at 10 to 12 weeks.

Board paper lines, ready to paste into a business case

In January to March 2026, 77.1% of assessed aged care residents rated their quality of life good or excellent, against 64.0% of residents surveyed by proxy (National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program). A meta-analysis of randomised trials in older adults found a moderate quality of life effect from immersive VR (SMD 0.48, Trillo-Charlín et al., JMIR Aging, 2026), while in the QUT aged care program 1 of 3 Queensland homes still ran VR 8 weeks later (Miller et al., Australasian Journal on Ageing, 2024). Lifestyle officers provide an average of 7.1 minutes per resident per day (QI Program, January to March 2026), so facilitator time is the constraint to plan for.

A homeowner watches a therapist wearing a headset measure a doorway for a handrail. — A therapist measures a doorway for a handrail.

A carer wearing a headset stands by an open car door as an older man approaches across a car park. — A carer at an open car door.

A therapist wearing a headset walks behind a white cane user along a suburban footpath. — A therapist walks behind a cane user.

Limits and method

The national indicators are observational and say nothing about VR; the VR studies are small.

The QUT phases are qualitative, with convenience samples and no comparator. The Monash record and the Australasian Journal on Ageing paper are the same article.
The opening quarter, April to June 2023, appears in the trend table, Table 1.1 of the January to March 2026 supplementary tables.
31.0% of residents assessed for eligibility were excluded for not consenting, so ratings describe the residents measured.
Home percentiles (Table 2.2) keep outliers; remoteness figures are Table 3.2.
Lifestyle minutes come from the Quarterly Financial Report and start on 1 April 2025.
Effect sizes differ in outcome and population; the chart shows scale, not ranking.
The dementia share (2021 to 2022 financial year) and the 30 June 2025 count use different denominators. Complaint categories changed on 1 November 2025.
Every source was read on 26 September 2026.

Where PTR fits

PTR builds VR and AI roleplay programs for aged care teams and can plan a baseline and a follow-up measure into a pilot. Start with training for aged care educators, plan with how a pilot runs and business case and evaluation, and see immersive training and age tech. The QUT toolkit points facilitators to a course from Equal Reality, a subsidiary of People Tech Revolution.

Cite this research

Free to quote and cite with a link to this page. Name the version you read, so readers can see what has changed since.

APA 7

Loza, K. (2026, September 27). Quality of life in residential aged care: what the national indicators show, and where VR leisure fits (Version 2.0). People Tech Revolution. https://peopletechrevolution.com/insights/vr-aged-care-qut-study

Data: AIHW GEN QI Program: January to March 2026 supplementary tables and technical notes, and the July to September and October to December 2025 reports; GEN and AIHW resident data; ACQSC sector performance, January to March 2026; the QUT papers, reviews and trials in Sources. Read 26 September 2026.

Version history

Version	Date	What changed
Version 2.0	27 September 2026	Rebuilt on national data: QI Program quality of life trend, completion format and home spread, lifestyle minutes, the QUT papers, reviews and trials.
Version 1.0	25 September 2026	First published.